


Preparing for the Night

by AFSTexaCali93



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Anxiety, Bathtubs, Date Night, Decisions, F/M, Full Circle (novel), Love Confessions, Memories, Non-Sexual, Partial Nudity, Post-Endgame, Proxima Station, Second Chances
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-12
Updated: 2017-08-12
Packaged: 2018-12-14 09:29:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11780286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AFSTexaCali93/pseuds/AFSTexaCali93
Summary: Admiral Janeway gets ready for her dinner date with Captain Chakotay at Proxima Station. She reminisces about the times they’ve come so close and wonders if she has the courage to finally tell him how she feels.Takes place right before the Proxima Station scene in "Full Circle."





	Preparing for the Night

**Author's Note:**

> Rated M for some nudity (nothing graphic, just a precaution).
> 
> This story was inspired by "Nights in Rodanthe" by Nicholas Sparks.

Admiral Kathryn Janeway looked around her assigned quarters. It was VIP, yet to her, it was not so different from the captain’s quarters she lived in when she was _Voyager_ ’s commanding officer. The ship may have had a bit of a makeover since its return from the Delta Quadrant, but it was comforting to know that some of the layout and mechanism stayed the same. They held so many memories, both good and bad, and it was home away from home for seven years.

 

Kathryn was relieved to finally be aboard. The shuttle ride from Earth to Proxima Station was long and for hours, she saw virtually nothing but empty space. But she was here for a reason, to her a very important one; she was going to meet Chakotay for dinner at his quarters once his duty shift ended. Quite a while ago, she had promoted him to the rank of captain and he had become _Voyager_ ’s new commanding officer. Duty had kept them from seeing each other as often as they would have liked, so they had a rare opportunity to catch up.

 

As excited as she was, she was also very nervous. She had only recently learned about the end of his relationship with Seven of Nine. She had discussed tonight’s plans with B’Elanna Torres the day before, and she insisted that she tell him her true feelings for him. Kathryn couldn’t understand how her former chief engineer knew that she was secretly in love with Chakotay since she had not told anyone about it, but she knew it alright, and she was encouraging her. And, she had to tell him soon, otherwise she might not get another chance once _Voyager_ came back from its ten-month exploration of the Yaris Nebula.

 

Making her way into her bedroom, she set her travel case on the bed. Since she was only going to be staying aboard for one night, she had only packed her silk nightgown, fresh clothing, and some cosmetics. But when she opened the case, she was surprised to find a small bottle of body lotion with a note tied around its neck. The note read, “You just might need this. Good luck tonight. — B’Elanna.”

 

 _I just might need this? What’s that supposed to mean?_ Kathryn wondered. Feeling sore from sitting in the shuttle for almost the entire trip, she decided to have a nice, relaxing bath while she had the time. It’d be an hour before Chakotay’s duty shift ended and possibly another hour or two for him to get dinner ready.

 

“Computer, run bath water 37 degrees Celsius,” she ordered as she removed the clip holding her bun together and shook her long hair loose. She watched as the water filled the tub. It had been quite a while since she last bathed in a tub aboard _Voyager_. Still, it was nothing compared to the bathtub Chakotay built for her on New Earth. She had only mentioned to him once that she loved baths, and he never forgot that. That was the moment she knew that, one way or another, he was a keeper.

 

Stripping out of her uniform, she stepped into the tub. She breathed a deep sigh as she leaned back towards the end of the tub, feeling the warm water wash the tension away from her body. Staring up at the ceiling, she remembered all the other moments she and Chakotay had shared through the years. It wasn’t always easy. Friends and comrades are always bound to disagree and run into conflicts every once in a while, but there were a few instances where they had come very close to jeopardizing their friendship. 

 

To Kathryn, the worst was when she virtually lost it in the pursuit of Ransom and his crew from the _Equinox_. Chakotay had tried to stop her from making irreversible decisions, and she punished him for it. She shuddered at the thought of having almost turned into a monster and her ungrateful attitude towards the one person determined to not let that happen. She avoided facing Chakotay for a week until he insisted she speak with him after he caught her screaming her lungs out while beating the crap out of hostile alien fighters in the holodeck. Also, when he had turned against her after he and Tuvok were possessed by Teero, the betrayal she felt was unthinkable, even though she knew the real Chakotay would never go against her willingly. It took nearly two months for their friendship to return to normal, and that was when he may have decided to let go of his romantic feelings for her. Why that was, she didn't know.

 

But without the bad times, Kathryn would likely never have appreciated the good times she and Chakotay had. All the dinner dates in her quarters, all the times they laughed and joked together, and all the times they comforted one another. She knew he was a force to be reckoned with the moment he beamed aboard the bridge that first day, but she had no idea how much she’d need him to be a part of her crew or her life.

 

As she washed herself clean, Kathryn remembered the times they came so close to giving in to their feelings. It was extremely tempting to throw protocol out the window and let their feelings take over, but they both knew that it would be impossible as long as they were stranded in the Delta Quadrant. They almost did just that three years ago when they kissed in the Venice holoprogram. She remembered how euphoric they both felt, but she had to make them get ahold of themselves before it went any further.

 

This love was born out of deep friendship, and it was too much to risk. She couldn’t survive without any amount of friendship from him. No, actually, she could survive without it if she had to. She could take care of herself. A part of her just wouldn’t be able to _live_ without it. She knew that if he did indeed stop having feelings for her, she would have to accept it as punishment for pushing him away so many times, but she couldn’t bear losing his friendship with it.

 

She had gone through intense grief and heartbreak after losing Justin in the doomed shuttle trip, and she didn’t think she could survive another tragedy. To her, losing Chakotay to the grim reaper would be catastrophic.

 

She shuddered at those thoughts before she caught herself. _Wait, why am I thinking this way?_ It was silly thinking that she could lose his friendship by admitting her feelings to him. In fact, it was absolutely ridiculous. Their friendship had gone through all sorts of trials and tribulations, and they were _still_ close. _That’s right, we’ve come too far as friends to lose it that easily._

 

The times they were jealous of the other being with somebody else had to mean something. And way she felt comfortable enough with him to share some details about her life. Perhaps the most telltale sign was the fact that he would call her Kathryn whenever they were alone. She had told him to do that on New Earth. Once they left, she could have insisted that he never call her that again, but that would be cruel and dismissive. Plus, she secretly loved hearing him say her name.

 

That last detail sent an erotic tingle through her body, and she let it run its course. Right then and there, Kathryn finally made her decision.

 

 _I’m going to tell him,_ she thought, _I almost lost him to Seven of Nine, but I’ve been given another chance, and this is it. The Borg are going to have to_ kill _me before I back out. Living with the regret of never telling him will be my undoing compared to him not returning my feelings. One way or the other, I’m sure we’ll find a way to keep our friendship and mutual respect going._

 

She sat in the tub for another five minutes before getting out. As she dried herself off, she took another look at the lotion B’Elanna had given her. She then applied it all over herself — arms, legs, neck, shoulders, stomach, and even her breasts. She felt the soothing liquid sink in, resulting in the irresistible, velvety softness that breathed life into her skin. She dressed in her uniform before drying her hair and putting it up into her usual bun. For makeup, she used her usual smoky eyeshadow, mascara, pink blush, and pastel rose lipstick, but in a lighter amount for a softer look.

 

Once finished, she looked at herself in the full-body mirror. She liked what she saw; a Starfleet admiral ready for a date, or best-case-scenario, a night to remember. Sure, she wasn’t as young as she used to be, but she still had a lot to be proud of appearance-wise. After all, she _had_ worked very hard to maintain her figure. Even more so since returning to the Alpha Quadrant only a year-and-a-half earlier.

 

_Oh, yes, you’ve still got it, girl. All those hours busting my butt working out in the holodeck and the recreation facilities were worth it._

 

*Chakotay to Admiral Janeway.*

 

Kathryn jumped at the sudden beep coming from her comm badge. She tapped it to reply. “Janeway here.”

 

*Whenever you’re ready, I’m in my quarters now.*

 

“Acknowledged. I’m on my way,” she answered as she walked out the doors. Remembering that his quarters used to be hers, getting there was a no-brainer. She stood at the doors, taking a deep breath. _Well, here goes nothing._ She pressed the button to activate the door chime.

 

“Come in.” The doors opened and she walked inside.

 

“Hello, Kathryn,” Chakotay greeted with a warm smile, “It’s wonderful to see you.”

 

“It’s been a while,” Kathryn replied, smiling back, “and we’ve got quite a bit of catching up to do.”

 

“Indeed. I’m eager to hear what’s been going on lately.”

 

Kathryn and Chakotay then sat at the table and began talking.

**Author's Note:**

> No copyright infringement intended. This story was written purely for creative purposes and the enjoyment of others.
> 
> Star Trek: Voyager and all its characters created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, and Jeri Taylor. Based upon "Star Trek" created by Gene Roddenberry. Copyright goes to Paramount Studios and CBS Television Distribution. "Full Circle" written by Kirsten Beyer


End file.
